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Book Summary and Reviews of The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner

The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner

The Dirty Secrets Club

A Novel

by Meg Gardiner

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Published:
  • Jun 2008, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Recently Stephen King devoted an entire Entertainment Weekly column to Meg Gardiner, proclaiming her "as good as Michael Connelly and far better than Janet Evanovich." How is it possible, he wondered, that this Californian was published only in Britain? Starting now, suspense fans on this side of the pond can get their fix right here: Dutton is proud to introduce Gardiner's brand-new series heroine, Jo Beckett, in The Dirty Secrets Club.

An ongoing string of high-profile and very public murder-suicides has San Francisco even more rattled than a string of recent earthquakes: A flamboyant fashion designer burns to death, clutching the body of his murdered lover. A superstar 49er jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge. And most shocking of all, a U.S. attorney launches her BMW off a highway overpass, killing herself and three others.

Enter forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, hired by the SFPD to cut open not the victim's body but the victim's life. Jo's job is to complete the psychological autopsy, shedding light on the circumstances of any equivocal death. Soon she makes a shocking discovery: All the suicides belonged to something called the Dirty Secrets Club, a group of A-listers with nothing but money and plenty to hide. As the deaths continue, Jo delves into the disturbing motives behind this shadowy group - until she receives a letter containing a dark secret Jo thought she'd left deep in her past, and ending with the most chilling words of all: "Welcome to the Dirty Secrets Club."

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Gardiner should win new fans on this side of the Atlantic with this adrenaline-filled thriller." - Publishers Weekly.

"Starred Review. Stephen King brought Gardiner, an American living and published in Britain, to the attention of U.S. readers; her U.S. debut is highly recommended" - Library Journal.

"Stephen King is absolutely right. Meg Gardiner is an astonishing writer, and The Dirty Secrets Club is a humdinger of a thriller, with shocks and twists galore. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough." - Tess Gerritsen.

This information about The Dirty Secrets Club was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Membership Advantages
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  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Information

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Recommendations

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  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
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